Schizophrenia is a type of mental disorder wherein the patients develop their own hallucinated world where they see people, hear voices and imagine things that are not in real. It is a self-created hallucinated world, in which they cage themselves. Such patients face severe issues in concentrating, mindful thinking and lose any motivation. However, the disorder must not be confused with split personality or multiple-personality.
If any of your loved one is suffering from schizophrenia then it is the time that you should help them instead of getting panicked. This blog talks about some of the helpful and effective ways to help a schizophrenic patient and support them in getting back to the normal life.
Ways to care for a schizophrenic patient
- Encourage them to get proper treatment- If your loved one is suffering from schizophrenia then the foremost step that you must take is to encourage them to take proper medication. The patient should go for regular doctor appointments. True that it can become difficult to convince these patients to visit a doctor but whatever may happen, you should never argue with them or order them to do anything. You should not push them to seek treatment, as this might backfire and their condition might worsen,
- Give medicine reminders – It is important for the patient to take the medicines regularly. To ensure the same, you should give theme reminders to take medicines. What you can do is set an alarm in their phone, so that they remember to take the medicine on time. It is important to take the medicines on time, as otherwise it can stimulate the effects of schizophrenia on the body. You can also use weekly pill boxes and medication calendars for the same purpose.
- Keep them less stressed- Do anything and everything that you think can keep the patient in stress-free. You should sit with them, spend time and talk as much as possible. When a schizophrenic keeps on venting out the pent up the feelings, he/she remains stress-free. On the other hand, a stressed patient can dive deep into the world of hallucination, which in turn will degrade his/her mental health.
- Motivate to lose weight- Often, it is seen that the medication given to treat schizophrenia has side effects, which includes gaining weight. Since gaining weight is associated with several other problems like obesity and others. Therefore, you must encourage the patient to get involved in the physical activities like the person can join gym, aerobics, yoga or any other activity that can help in shedding calories.
- Advice to avoid drugs and alcohol- Without a doubt, if someone is running on heavy medication of schizophrenia then he/she should totally avoid drugs and alcohol. As a caretaker of the patient, you should prevent the patient from substance abuse and should clear off the home of all the drugs and alcohol. You should discuss the harmful effects of drugs and liquor with the patient, so that he/she is aware of it and work towards getting over the addiction of the same.
- Keep them involved in social skills- When patients suffer from schizophrenia, they tend to part ways from the society and limit the social interaction. They hardly talk to people, as they are busy in their own world. To let them participate in the social gatherings and help them live in what is happening in the present, you should encourage to take part in community programs where they can keep themselves busy and not think about other unimportant tasks.
Besides the aforementioned ways, you should also consult the psychiatrist in Rohini. The psychiatrist will further guide you about the tips that you can follow to make the patient feel better. To find one such psychiatrist, you can check out internet. You will get a number of options there but to select the finest, you have to be smart. Choose the one that has good patient reviews, is reputed and the doctor that holds decades of experience. You must know that more the experience, better will be the treatment. Thus, it is the time to reach a psychiatrist and get your loved one treated in the minimum possible time. Take care!